Rockezine.com interview with Katafalk on Mar 22, 2003

with Chris on Mar 22, 2003

Katafalk from Groningen, The Netherlands recently released their debut album "Storm Of The Horde". A raging death thrash metal album with a truly awesome live atmosphere. A few questions for guitar player and founder of the band , Chris
		Where does the name Katafalk originate from? And what does it mean? Katafalk is a Dutch word meaning hearse. It`s coming on wheels and its bringing death, exactly like we do when we come and play somewhere! It`s a strong and simple word which sounds good and has a cool meaning.
		You released your debut, is this enough to end a promising career and continue on with playing music? Or is it enough to play an occasional gig and keep it just a pastime experience? We all need jobs besides the band if that`s what you mean.(I meant if they would be willing to give up a promising career in favour of Katafalk,RB) But whenever we get the chance to tour around the globe we will surely not hesitate to do so. The band is very important to us and we take every opportunity to take it further.
		In my review I said you reminded me of God Dethroned at times. I`m not the only one with this opinion according to the reviews I read, how do you look at this? We have no problem at all with getting compared to good bands. It`s a logical comparison because both bands are from the North of Holland and play a similar mix of death, thrash and other influences. Yet both bands have their own style. I also think God Dethroned is mentioned a lot in our reviews because our label Cold Blood Industries is run by God Dethroned`s singer/guitarist Henri.
No fillers just killers, that`s our motto.		All songs on "Storm of the Horde" sound like they were meant to play live (which doesn`t mean I don`t like the cd!!!). I noticed a lot of grunt-a-long choruses. Do you compose the tracks with the live environment in mind? You could say so. No fillers just killers, that`s our motto. Strong choruses are cool and besides that, every riff has to be exciting and functional. No fucking boring parts! I also would like to mention that a lot on the CD was recorded live in the studio. We didn`t use much tricks, so what you hear is what you get live as well!
		You experienced a lot of line-up changes over the years, did this change the musical style of Katafalk? Not much. I do happen to be the only original (and founding) member left, but with me writing 10 out of 13 songs there`s no big difference in style. Throughout the years we did get a lot faster (blast beats and stuff).
		Is the line-up stable this time, or are there any changes coming up in the near future? I can`t predict anything about future changes, but the line-up seems to be stable now. Everyone in the band is really motivated, so we make a good team.
		I read in your gig-section on the website you guys are going to play abroad! (Belgium, Czech Republic). How do you combine this with your jobs? We take a day off if necessary! Like I mentioned in the second question, the band is very important to us so when we can play a cool gig we go for it, leaving our jobs for what they are. That`s what free days are for anyway.
		I reckon the relationship with your label Cold Blood Industries is pretty good, considering the fact Henri (chief of God Dethroned and big boss of CBI) did a guest appearance on "Storm of the Horde".
		Are you satisfied with the support they`re offering? We`re very satisfied with Cold Blood Industries. `Storm Of The Horde` is distributed worldwide and the promotion is excellent. We`re in every big magazine and have done a huge amount of interviews so far, all arranged by CBI. About Henri`s guest appearance: we just asked him to do some soloing on "Cannon fodder" and he was happy to do it. We had a fun time.
		It`s easy for reviewers to name a few bands that resemble the sound of the reviewed band but to whom do you compare yourselves? I think you can hear an obvious old Slayer influence. There`s some Morbid Angel and Dissection as well. Mainly it`s 80`s and 90`s death and thrash metal, with a hint of black and traditional metal. We have been compared to The Crown by some reviewers and we think that`s great because we really dig that band and share their rock `n roll attitude.
		The most important question: if I wanted to book Katafalk for a gig, how many beers should I have backstage? At least a crate or two, that will do for a while (if the fans don`t steal it). More beer is kindly appreciated of course!
		Thanks for this, rather short, interview. Any visions on world peace, brilliant ideas or commercial messages you would like to address? Thanks Roy for the interview and support. All readers should listen to `Storm Of The Horde`, drink beer and bang their heads. So go see us live. Check our website for news, tour dates, merchandise, downloads and other stuff. Cheerz and support metal!
		(Roy van den Brink)